Irving Azoff

Former executive chairman, Live Nation Entertainment inc.

Irving Azoff is a name that has become synonymous with the entertainment industry.

From his earliest days promoting and booking bands during his University of Illinois college years to his success as agent, personal manager, concert promoter, movie producer, independent record label owner, merchandiser, music publisher, and record company CEO, he has put his unique stamp on his accomplishments.

Mr. Azoff holds the title of chairman and CEO of the (Azoff music management) Front Line Management Group, the world’s largest music management firm. He is the personal manager of the Eagles, who he has managed since 1974, Christina Aguilera, Neil Diamond and Van Halen. (Azoff music management) Front Line Management owns interests in, or wholly owns, other management companies as well as music services and VIP ticketing divisions.

Mr. Azoff has made his mark in the film industry, producing such iconic lifestyle motion pictures as Urban Cowboy, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and The Hurricane.

Previous to Front Line Management (Azoff music management?), Azoff was chairman and CEO of the MCA Music Entertainment Group. In six years, his leadership revitalized the slumping company into an industry powerhouse, setting sales and earning record profits, while diversifying the division into concert promotion, amphitheater operations, and merchandising.

Azoff established his reputation in the music industry when he created Front Line Management in 1974. Under Azoff's tutelage, the personal management firm became the industry's most successful; guiding the careers of such artists as the Eagles, Steely Dan, and Jimmy Buffett. During the Front Line years, he also founded Full Moon Records, which served as home to the soundtracks for Azoff-produced motion pictures including Urban Cowboy and Fast Times At Ridgemont High and home to such artists as Chicago and Dan Fogelberg.

Azoff is recognized for his considerable work on behalf of charitable causes. Through his unique position in the entertainment world, he brings together the music, film and television communities, to raise funding for a variety of organizations. Azoff serves as an advisory board member of The Walden Woods Project. He has been honored by both the T.J. Martell Foundation and by the City of Hope -- receiving their prestigious "Humanitarian Of The Year" Award and "Spirit Of Life" Award, respectively.

Advertising Age named Irving Azoff their 2008 “Marketer of the Year,” and was the recipient of Pollstar magazine’s Personal Manager Of The Year Award in 2007.

Irving Azoff and his wife, Shelli, reside in Beverly Hills, California with their four children.

Wall Street Journal Headlines

At the long-running pre-Grammy gala hosted by veteran music executive Clive Davis and the Recording Academy on Sunday night, comedian James Corden joked that there were “more people in the room than had subscribed to Tidal,” Jay-Z’s fledgling music streaming service.

The Dolans have toyed with selling Cablevision numerous times, but finally found the right match—and price—with Europe’s Altice. Now, the cable-TV family is expected to turn its attention to its other holdings: Madison Square Garden and AMC Networks.

The music industry is locked in an epic battle with YouTube, the most popular on-demand service, over the declining royalty rates the site pays and the difficulty in detecting copyright material from the mass of videos uploaded on the site.